The Michigan State University Crew Club was founded in 1957 by Dr. Gene Elliott, an MSU graduate student (later professor) in physical education. Dr. Elliott became the first of several Faculty Advisers for the Crew Club. The club is run by students, with the assistance of a Faculty Adviser and coaching staff. Since its founding, the club has provided an environment for students to participate in the sport of rowing, and to compete in regional and national races.
The Michigan State University Crew Club is comprised of a diverse group of students from varying backgrounds, and is a place where athletes feel welcome and can find their niche in a university of nearly 40,000 undergraduates. The athletes of MSU Crew Club compete at the highest level of US intercollegiate rowing and travel to national level regattas in Philadelphia and Atlanta, as well as many regional and local races. This program offers those with ability and drive to experience everything that collegiate athletics has to offer.
The Michigan State University Crew Club is comprised of a diverse group of students from varying backgrounds, and is a place where athletes feel welcome and can find their niche in a university of nearly 40,000 undergraduates. The athletes of MSU Crew Club compete at the highest level of US intercollegiate rowing and travel to national level regattas in Philadelphia and Atlanta, as well as many regional and local races. This program offers those with ability and drive to experience everything that collegiate athletics has to offer.
Mission Statement
The Michigan State University Crew Club is an organization of students dedicated to being both successful athletes at the highest level of intercollegiate rowing and successful students in the academic realm. The Crew Club provides an opportunity for any student to represent themselves as the best of the Michigan State University community, both on the water and off.
The sport of rowing engenders a level of teamwork and camaraderie rarely found in other endeavors. The athletes of MSU Crew are dedicated to attaining and maintaining competitive excellence, while also promoting an atmosphere that encourages the growth and success of all involved; at the Michigan State Crew Club this culture is strengthened by the continued support of the program’s alumni.
The mission of the MSU CREW is to:
The sport of rowing engenders a level of teamwork and camaraderie rarely found in other endeavors. The athletes of MSU Crew are dedicated to attaining and maintaining competitive excellence, while also promoting an atmosphere that encourages the growth and success of all involved; at the Michigan State Crew Club this culture is strengthened by the continued support of the program’s alumni.
The mission of the MSU CREW is to:
- Promote athletic achievement and excellence in intercollegiate rowing for both individuals and the team
- Develop leadership, discipline and teamwork through the sport of rowing, preparing athletes for lives beyond Michigan State and the Crew Club
- Cultivate a community of rowers and alumni dedicated to ensuring the future success of the club
History
The Michigan State University Crew Club was founded in the Fall of 1956 under the name “Michigan State University Rowing Crew.” At the time, the club had no equipment, no coach, and only 9 participants. Later that year, with the help of club founder, Dr. Gene Elliott, the club was able to obtain two rowing shells through the generous donations of Cornell University and the Detroit Boat Club.
In the spring of 1957, the club received their first invitation to the prestigious Dad Vail Regatta on the Schuylkill River in Philadelphia. This invitation marked that Michigan State as a legitimate competitor in the nation's oldest collegiate sport.
The original on-water practice site for the rowing crew was on Lake Lansing, where boats could row for up to a mile and a half in a single direction. In the winter of 1957 Dick Stone, a member of the Lansing Community, donated the use of his land on the Grand River for boat storage and launching and the team’s boathouse moved to its current site at what is now Grand River Park.
Since its beginning, the Crew Club has not been regularly funded by the University; students had to fund the program and equipment through fundraising and dues. Luckily, the first team captain, James Tyler, developed a strong connection with MSU Athletic Director Clarence Munn. Through the dedication and hard work of Tyler and Munn, the club was able to lobby to the administration for two indoor rowing machines and four new oars in 1959. The newly acquired rowing machines allowed the athletes to gain valuable rowing experience even when the river was frozen, so when it came time for the rowers to step in a shell, they knew the fundamentals of rowing. The new winter training regimen proved to be worthwhile as the club boasted a winning season in 1959, taking gold in both spring season regattas.
The Crew Club suffered a major setback in 1993 when the boathouse burned down costing the team close to $100,000 in damages. Everything was destroyed, leaving the team with no equipment and no way to compete on the water. In the wake of this setback, the MSU alumni and student community rallied together. Jerry Olrich, owner of the Oxford Lumber company, donated lumber and his time as general contractor, while the MSU Student Builders Association offered their labor and together with the help of the rowers, were able to construct a new boathouse. The Crew Club still receives an enormous amount of support from alumni and the Lansing and MSU Communities, for which the team is extremely grateful. In 2015 several former Crew Club presidents and other alumni founded the Red Cedar Rowing Foundation, a 501(c)3 corporation to support the MSU Crew Club.
In recent years, the club has been finding ways to expand the roster and improve the quality of rowing at MSU. Since 2014, the team has purchased 4 shells including a Wintech 2- 2015 shell, King 4+ 2012 shell, King 8+ 2011 shell and a new Wintech wakeless launch. All of this is made possible by the support of the community and alumni. The team has been improving their performance on the national level as well, racing its first 8 man shell at the Head of the Charles race in 2016 and securing a bid for the fall of 2017. The team’s top boat also took 16th in the nation at ACRA in 2016, a significant improvement from the previous year.
The 2016-2017 season also saw many improvements to the boathouse as well. A new gutter system donated and installed by Southwell Builders allowed the club to wash boats and equipment with recycled rain water. New oar racks, donated by the Douglas Steel Corporation and installed by team members, provide for a sleek and sturdy way of storing oars. The following season saw an upgrade of our docks, as well as an improvement in the way our history is displayed in our boathouse.
The club continues to expand upon its rich history in Lansing, looking to improve each year on and off the water. Many traditions have been passed along through the years and still remain a part of the club to this day. Club members are very proud of the strong history our club has, and each of us are honored to be a part of the standard that has been set by Alumni before us. All of us at the MSU Crew Club are proud to represent Michigan State through our great sport and seek to provide a positive relationship between our club and Michigan State University.
In the spring of 1957, the club received their first invitation to the prestigious Dad Vail Regatta on the Schuylkill River in Philadelphia. This invitation marked that Michigan State as a legitimate competitor in the nation's oldest collegiate sport.
The original on-water practice site for the rowing crew was on Lake Lansing, where boats could row for up to a mile and a half in a single direction. In the winter of 1957 Dick Stone, a member of the Lansing Community, donated the use of his land on the Grand River for boat storage and launching and the team’s boathouse moved to its current site at what is now Grand River Park.
Since its beginning, the Crew Club has not been regularly funded by the University; students had to fund the program and equipment through fundraising and dues. Luckily, the first team captain, James Tyler, developed a strong connection with MSU Athletic Director Clarence Munn. Through the dedication and hard work of Tyler and Munn, the club was able to lobby to the administration for two indoor rowing machines and four new oars in 1959. The newly acquired rowing machines allowed the athletes to gain valuable rowing experience even when the river was frozen, so when it came time for the rowers to step in a shell, they knew the fundamentals of rowing. The new winter training regimen proved to be worthwhile as the club boasted a winning season in 1959, taking gold in both spring season regattas.
The Crew Club suffered a major setback in 1993 when the boathouse burned down costing the team close to $100,000 in damages. Everything was destroyed, leaving the team with no equipment and no way to compete on the water. In the wake of this setback, the MSU alumni and student community rallied together. Jerry Olrich, owner of the Oxford Lumber company, donated lumber and his time as general contractor, while the MSU Student Builders Association offered their labor and together with the help of the rowers, were able to construct a new boathouse. The Crew Club still receives an enormous amount of support from alumni and the Lansing and MSU Communities, for which the team is extremely grateful. In 2015 several former Crew Club presidents and other alumni founded the Red Cedar Rowing Foundation, a 501(c)3 corporation to support the MSU Crew Club.
In recent years, the club has been finding ways to expand the roster and improve the quality of rowing at MSU. Since 2014, the team has purchased 4 shells including a Wintech 2- 2015 shell, King 4+ 2012 shell, King 8+ 2011 shell and a new Wintech wakeless launch. All of this is made possible by the support of the community and alumni. The team has been improving their performance on the national level as well, racing its first 8 man shell at the Head of the Charles race in 2016 and securing a bid for the fall of 2017. The team’s top boat also took 16th in the nation at ACRA in 2016, a significant improvement from the previous year.
The 2016-2017 season also saw many improvements to the boathouse as well. A new gutter system donated and installed by Southwell Builders allowed the club to wash boats and equipment with recycled rain water. New oar racks, donated by the Douglas Steel Corporation and installed by team members, provide for a sleek and sturdy way of storing oars. The following season saw an upgrade of our docks, as well as an improvement in the way our history is displayed in our boathouse.
The club continues to expand upon its rich history in Lansing, looking to improve each year on and off the water. Many traditions have been passed along through the years and still remain a part of the club to this day. Club members are very proud of the strong history our club has, and each of us are honored to be a part of the standard that has been set by Alumni before us. All of us at the MSU Crew Club are proud to represent Michigan State through our great sport and seek to provide a positive relationship between our club and Michigan State University.
WHAT IS ROWING/CREW?
THE BASICS, FUN FACTS, AND FAQS
Whether you’re the parent, friend, or relative to a novice rower or a neighbor wondering what the racket is at 6 am each day, you probably have some questions about rowing. Here are some basics to get you started, and please feel free to get in touch at bhanda21@msu.edu if you would like to pursue further!
Rowing is a quintessential team sport; in all events except for the single scull the boat requires coordinated and cooperative efforts from multiple athletes in order to function at all. In rowing, it is only proper to refer to a “boat” when it has its crew in it; when empty a boat is referred to as a “shell”. In terms of athletic demand it is most similar to cross country ski racing and long-distance speed skating; a two kilometer rowing race is roughly the same as playing two full games of basketball back to back. In rowing, athletes sit on sliding seats in a series of single file stations (commonly referred to simply as seats), with all rowers facing the same direction and following the person directly in front of them. The rowing movement is cyclical and comes in two parts, the “recovery”, in which the athlete coils up like a spring to reach as far forward as possible in a seated position and the drive, in which the athlete explodes backwards as far as possible. This movement is used to drive oars through the water which then propel the boat. During practices, coaches follow behind or next to the rowing boats in chase boats referred to as “launches”.
While rowing teams typically train throughout the school year (as is the case with MSU), there are two racing seasons: Fall and Spring. Fall races are referred to as “head races”, typically five kilometers (3.1 miles) in length and work on a time trial format. Crews start one at a time and (while passing crews in front is both encouraged and fun for athletes and spectators alike) race the clock – the fastest time on the course (regardless of order across the finish line) wins. Spring races are known as “Sprints” and are typically two kilometers (1.25 miles) in length. Spring races work more like a track meet, with (in larger races) several heats (groups of up to 8) of crews lining up evenly and then racing as hard as possible for the finish line, with the first crew across the line being the winner.
While rowing is a competitive sport and can be contested at any age from juniors (under 18) up to grand-veterans (over 80), it is also a healthy and fulfilling recreational activity for anyone of any age or ability. There are rowing programs that cater to all different physical and mental handicaps, ages, body types, and skill and fitness levels. As a full-body, aerobic, low-impact sport it is one of the healthiest activities that one can choose to take up regardless of age or prior experience.
Much more information can be found on the Wikipedia page for the sport of rowing, here.
Who is that person sitting at the back of the boat and yelling?
The person sitting at the back of the boat facing the rowers is called a coxswain (pronounced “cox-un”), usually shortened to either “cox” or “cox’n”. This person tends to be much shorter (the seat is very small) and lighter than the rowers since he or she cannot contribute in any way to the propulsion of the boat. Among the coxswain’s jobs is to be the coach in the boat – telling the rowers what drills to perform, what technical changes to make, and keeping the athletes focused on the plan for the race or practice. The coxswain is also responsible for steering the boat (through the use of a rudder approximately the size of an index card), alerting rowers to what is going on around them, and motivating them during the race. In men’s rowing, the coxswain can be either male or female at all levels except for international competition (in which case the coxswain must be male). Women’s programs (including all collegiate varsity) require female coxswains.
What is the difference between sweep and scull rowing?
Sweep rowing (the kind prioritized by the MSU Crew Club) involves each rower holding one oar with two hands, and rowing on one side of the boat (either port or starboard). As a result, all sweep boat classes have an even number of rowers so that there is an even number of oars driving the boat on either side. Sculling (preferred by the masters rowers at Lansing Rowing Club, for example) involves each rower holding two oars (properly referred to as sculls in this case) with one in each hand. All single-person boats must use sculls. Sweep boats most commonly come in pairs (two rowers), fours (four rowers), and eights (eight rowers), while sculling boats come in singles, doubles (two rowers) and quads (four rowers). If you are reading a rowing program, the boat class is denoted by a number (how many rowers) and then an “x” for sculling, a “+” for sweep with coxswain, and a “-“ for sweep without coxswain. For example, the MSU Crew Club prioritizes the 8+ events, which is to say the 8-man sweep boat with a coxswain.
What is the difference between rowing and crew?
There is no difference – the two terms are commonly used interchangeably! One exception to this rule is Michigan State University, in which “Rowing” is understood to refer to the women’s varsity program and “Crew” is understood to refer to the club program.
What do you do during the winter when the river freezes?
Starting around Thanksgiving and running until early March the team moves indoors to train. While indoors, our primary tool is the “ergometer”, or rowing machine. You have probably seen one at your local gym (it is the long, low, slender machine with a large, caged fan up front) somewhere near the treadmills and elliptical machines, and almost certainly vacant. These machines do a pretty good job of recreating the same motion as one uses with an oar on the water, and have computers to tell you everything from how fast you are going to how many calories you are burning. Hop on and try one sometime, or stop by the boathouse for a tutorial!
How big are those boats?
Each boat class is a different size (eights are far larger than singles), but the biggest (and in our case most common) of them are roughly 60 feet long. Despite their length, they are very narrow and made of lightweight carbon-fiber, so a boat with all of its riggers (the metal attachments that connect the oars to the boat) weighs just over 200 pounds.
Why does our Crew Club always practice in the dark?
We are a student-run club, and as such our students and their academics come first. In order to accommodate everyone’s class schedule we have the varsity practice early in the morning (ending in time to get back to campus for the first classes of the day at 8 am) and the novices practice in the evening (after all classes have ended). On weekends when there are no classes our team finally gets to see the river in daylight, as we typically practice during mid to late morning. While practicing in the dark is a necessary sacrifice, we take safety very seriously, which is why all rowing shells and coaching launches have lights for the bow (red/green) and stern (white). We have installed red and green lights on the end of the dock to make it easier for coxswains to land in the dark as well.
DID YOU KNOW…?
Rowing is a quintessential team sport; in all events except for the single scull the boat requires coordinated and cooperative efforts from multiple athletes in order to function at all. In rowing, it is only proper to refer to a “boat” when it has its crew in it; when empty a boat is referred to as a “shell”. In terms of athletic demand it is most similar to cross country ski racing and long-distance speed skating; a two kilometer rowing race is roughly the same as playing two full games of basketball back to back. In rowing, athletes sit on sliding seats in a series of single file stations (commonly referred to simply as seats), with all rowers facing the same direction and following the person directly in front of them. The rowing movement is cyclical and comes in two parts, the “recovery”, in which the athlete coils up like a spring to reach as far forward as possible in a seated position and the drive, in which the athlete explodes backwards as far as possible. This movement is used to drive oars through the water which then propel the boat. During practices, coaches follow behind or next to the rowing boats in chase boats referred to as “launches”.
While rowing teams typically train throughout the school year (as is the case with MSU), there are two racing seasons: Fall and Spring. Fall races are referred to as “head races”, typically five kilometers (3.1 miles) in length and work on a time trial format. Crews start one at a time and (while passing crews in front is both encouraged and fun for athletes and spectators alike) race the clock – the fastest time on the course (regardless of order across the finish line) wins. Spring races are known as “Sprints” and are typically two kilometers (1.25 miles) in length. Spring races work more like a track meet, with (in larger races) several heats (groups of up to 8) of crews lining up evenly and then racing as hard as possible for the finish line, with the first crew across the line being the winner.
While rowing is a competitive sport and can be contested at any age from juniors (under 18) up to grand-veterans (over 80), it is also a healthy and fulfilling recreational activity for anyone of any age or ability. There are rowing programs that cater to all different physical and mental handicaps, ages, body types, and skill and fitness levels. As a full-body, aerobic, low-impact sport it is one of the healthiest activities that one can choose to take up regardless of age or prior experience.
Much more information can be found on the Wikipedia page for the sport of rowing, here.
Who is that person sitting at the back of the boat and yelling?
The person sitting at the back of the boat facing the rowers is called a coxswain (pronounced “cox-un”), usually shortened to either “cox” or “cox’n”. This person tends to be much shorter (the seat is very small) and lighter than the rowers since he or she cannot contribute in any way to the propulsion of the boat. Among the coxswain’s jobs is to be the coach in the boat – telling the rowers what drills to perform, what technical changes to make, and keeping the athletes focused on the plan for the race or practice. The coxswain is also responsible for steering the boat (through the use of a rudder approximately the size of an index card), alerting rowers to what is going on around them, and motivating them during the race. In men’s rowing, the coxswain can be either male or female at all levels except for international competition (in which case the coxswain must be male). Women’s programs (including all collegiate varsity) require female coxswains.
What is the difference between sweep and scull rowing?
Sweep rowing (the kind prioritized by the MSU Crew Club) involves each rower holding one oar with two hands, and rowing on one side of the boat (either port or starboard). As a result, all sweep boat classes have an even number of rowers so that there is an even number of oars driving the boat on either side. Sculling (preferred by the masters rowers at Lansing Rowing Club, for example) involves each rower holding two oars (properly referred to as sculls in this case) with one in each hand. All single-person boats must use sculls. Sweep boats most commonly come in pairs (two rowers), fours (four rowers), and eights (eight rowers), while sculling boats come in singles, doubles (two rowers) and quads (four rowers). If you are reading a rowing program, the boat class is denoted by a number (how many rowers) and then an “x” for sculling, a “+” for sweep with coxswain, and a “-“ for sweep without coxswain. For example, the MSU Crew Club prioritizes the 8+ events, which is to say the 8-man sweep boat with a coxswain.
What is the difference between rowing and crew?
There is no difference – the two terms are commonly used interchangeably! One exception to this rule is Michigan State University, in which “Rowing” is understood to refer to the women’s varsity program and “Crew” is understood to refer to the club program.
What do you do during the winter when the river freezes?
Starting around Thanksgiving and running until early March the team moves indoors to train. While indoors, our primary tool is the “ergometer”, or rowing machine. You have probably seen one at your local gym (it is the long, low, slender machine with a large, caged fan up front) somewhere near the treadmills and elliptical machines, and almost certainly vacant. These machines do a pretty good job of recreating the same motion as one uses with an oar on the water, and have computers to tell you everything from how fast you are going to how many calories you are burning. Hop on and try one sometime, or stop by the boathouse for a tutorial!
How big are those boats?
Each boat class is a different size (eights are far larger than singles), but the biggest (and in our case most common) of them are roughly 60 feet long. Despite their length, they are very narrow and made of lightweight carbon-fiber, so a boat with all of its riggers (the metal attachments that connect the oars to the boat) weighs just over 200 pounds.
Why does our Crew Club always practice in the dark?
We are a student-run club, and as such our students and their academics come first. In order to accommodate everyone’s class schedule we have the varsity practice early in the morning (ending in time to get back to campus for the first classes of the day at 8 am) and the novices practice in the evening (after all classes have ended). On weekends when there are no classes our team finally gets to see the river in daylight, as we typically practice during mid to late morning. While practicing in the dark is a necessary sacrifice, we take safety very seriously, which is why all rowing shells and coaching launches have lights for the bow (red/green) and stern (white). We have installed red and green lights on the end of the dock to make it easier for coxswains to land in the dark as well.
DID YOU KNOW…?
- The founder of the modern Olympics was a rower
- Rowing is the only sport you can win while sitting down and going backwards
- Rowing is one of the oldest modern sports. It has been a part of the Olympic program every year since the first modern Olympics in 1896, and is the first recognized intercollegiate sport in both America (Harvard-Yale, 1852) and the world (Oxford-Cambridge, 1827). Other firsts include the first amateur athletic organization (the Schuylkill Navy, 1858), the first governing body for a sport in the US (NAAO, now known as US Rowing, 1872), and the first international sports federation (FISA, 1892)
- An eight-person boat is capable of generating enough power and speed to successfully tow a water skier
- A new 8+ shell costs about the same as a new car (between $30,000 and $50,000)
- In the 2016 Rio Olympic Games, Rowing (48 athletes) represented the third largest US Delegation
- Racing 1x shells are so narrow (roughly 10 inches wide) that athletes actually sit on top of it rather than inside of it
- Most boats come equipped with shoes in every seat; they are bolted onto a plate attached to the boat, so you won’t see people wearing them outside the boat
- Michigan is home to the first rowing club in the US – the Detroit Boat Club (1839)
